How Elden Ring Nightreign Multiplayer Works: Cross-Play, Solo, And Co-Op Explained

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Elden Ring: Nightreign is structured as a three-person cooperative adventure, primarily testing players’ combat skills by requiring teamwork to defeat difficult enemies and navigate a dynamic landscape. Although it’s possible to play solo, the game emphasizes partnering you with two other players for collective combat and exploration. Conveniently, both single-player and multiplayer features in Elden Ring: Nightreign are user-friendly, ensuring smooth transitions between your adventures across the Living Lands.

As an ardent admirer of Elden Ring Nightreign, I’m excited to guide you through the essentials of embarking on expeditions, whether solo or with friends, and discuss a few aspects that are currently missing from the multiplayer experience – specifically, the absence of proper cross-play support. Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents [hide]

  • How to start expeditions in Elden Ring Nightreign
  • How to play solo in Elden Ring Nightreign
  • How to play multiplayer in Elden Ring Nightreign
  • Does Elden Ring Nightreign support cross-play?

How to start expeditions in Elden Ring Nightreign

Initially, let’s discuss the steps for joining expeditions after completing the initial tutorial in the game, which usually takes around 10 minutes or less.

Following the tutorial, you’ll wind up at the Roundtable Hold, a well-known spot for Elden Ring enthusiasts. In the Roundtable Hold, you can engage with numerous NPCs, but the place where you’ll likely spend most of your time is right around the central table. When you draw near to this table, you’ll receive a prompt to “Begin Expedition,” which you should select.

When you decide to embark on an adventure, the ‘Boss Selection’ menu in Nightreign will pop up on your screen. This menu displays all the present bosses you can engage in combat within the game, offering a quick overview of each one so you’re aware of the challenge ahead. However, before selecting a boss, you might want to navigate to the ‘Matchmaking Settings’ by pressing the bumpers on your controller.

In the Matchmaking Settings, you can extend invitations to members for your gathering, establish a code for your friends to input and join your team, and alter the Expedition Mode as needed, allowing you to switch between solo and multiplayer experiences.

How to play solo in Elden Ring Nightreign

To start off, if you prefer playing Elden Ring: Nightreign on your own, simply adjust the Expedition Mode from its default “multiplayer” setting to “singleplayer”. You’ll find these as your only two choices, so making this change once is all it takes.

After changing your Expedition Type, navigate to the boss selection menu where you can choose your preferred boss and embark on a solo journey. It’s important to mention that due to the absence of teammates, the class you are currently using in the Roundtable Hold will automatically be selected for you, bypassing the class choice screen.

Apart from some differences, the single-player mode follows the same structure as multiplayer expeditions. You’ll find yourself doing identical tasks, battling similar foes, and attempting to conquer all the bosses on your path towards the ultimate boss. However, keep in mind that as a solo player, this journey is extremely challenging. Once you perish once, there’s no coming back; you’re out for good.

How to play multiplayer in Elden Ring Nightreign

Let’s dive into playing Elden Ring Nightreign as designed by the developers. By design, you start in multiplayer mode, so if you fancy teaming up with two other players chosen at random, all you need to do is initiate an expedition, choose your foe, and then the game will handle the rest. It’ll automatically pair you with two other real-life gamers, and once that’s done, a character selection screen will pop up for you to make your pick.

As a gamer, I always make sure to have a backup or two for my favorite class, since only one player can choose it in our game. If someone snags my preferred character, I’m ready with an alternative. Once we’ve all picked our classes, we parachute onto the map together and the fun begins. There’s no restriction on sticking close to your teammates, so you can play however suits you best. However, as the game progresses, you’ll find yourself reuniting with your teammates as the safe zone shrinks around the map.

Conversely, if you prefer playing with your friends over strangers, that’s also possible! You can access this feature from the Matchmaking Settings. Simply click on the “Invite Friends” option, and a list of your online buddies will appear from your platform. Once invited, they join your party, allowing you all to embark on an expedition once everyone is ready. Just keep in mind that if some friends are not as far along in the game as you, they might encounter content they haven’t experienced yet.

Instead of going through the usual inviting and joining procedures, you can establish a multiplayer code as an alternative. This feature lets you connect with other players who have the same password, offering an opportunity to play with individuals outside your platform friends list. You may set the number of players that can join using this password, ranging from one to three. If you opt for three players, the entire party will be filled. However, if you choose one or two players, the remaining spots will automatically be occupied by random players.

Additionally, you have the option to establish up to five unique group codes. These codes allow for easier identification of others’ bloodstains, phantoms, and victor records within the same group. Keep in mind that if you wish to utilize these across a large friend circle, proper coordination is necessary to ensure everyone uses the exact same codes.

Does Elden Ring Nightreign support cross-play?

After learning about how multiplayer adventures in Elden Ring function, you may find yourself questioning whether you can team up with friends or other gamers using different systems. Regrettably, Elden Ring Nightreign does not offer cross-platform compatibility at its release, which means you’ll only be able to connect with players on the same platform as yours when searching for matchups.

However, it’s important to note one exception to this: Nightreign allows cross-generational play. This means that you can team up with friends or other players using the same console brand as you. For instance, if you’re playing on Xbox Series X|S, a friend on Xbox One can still join you for an adventure. The same applies to gamers on PlayStation 4 and 5.

In other words, although the game doesn’t support complete cross-platform play, it does provide an advantage for players who have friends with a mix of older and newer console generations.

And that just about does it for all of the ways to set up an expedition in Elden Ring Nightreign.

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2025-05-30 01:40